Nysa Ancient City – Sultanhisar, Aydın
Nysa on the Maeander was an ancient city of Caria (later in the Roman province of Asia), whose ruins lie near Sultanhisar in Aydın Province, western Türkiye. The site stands about 30 km east of Aydın and 3 km north-west of Sultanhisar, on the south-facing slopes of the Aydın Mountains, where a fast-flowing stream has cut a deep gorge through the hillside. The city was built on both sides of this ravine, with a long vaulted substructure or “bridge” connecting the two halves.
(Source: Aydın Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism – Nysa
Turkish Archaeological News – Nysa on the Maeander
Wikipedia – Nysa on the Maeander)
According to ancient authors such as Strabo and Stephanos of Byzantium, Nysa was founded in the early 3rd century BC in the Hellenistic period, probably by Antiochus I Soter or his family, on the site of an earlier town called Athymbra. Later the surrounding settlements of Athymbrados and Hydrela were absorbed into the enlarged city of Nysa. Geographically it stood on the border between Caria and Lydia, close to the Maeander River, along the main route between Tralles (Aydın) and Antioch on the Maeander.
(Source: Aydın Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism – Nysa
Turkish Archaeological News – Nysa on the Maeander
Wikipedia – Nysa on the Maeander)
In Roman times Nysa became a renowned centre of education and culture. Strabo himself studied there, mentioning distinguished rhetoricians and philosophers who taught Homeric literature and epic interpretation; the city was famed throughout Asia Minor as a place for higher learning. In mythology, the name “Nysa” was associated with the nurturing of Dionysus, which may explain the prominence of Dionysian imagery in the city’s monuments.
(Source: Turkish Archaeological News – Nysa on the Maeander
Aeternitas Numismatics – Nysa on the Maeander: History and Coinage)
The main visible structures of Nysa give a good impression of a prosperous Roman provincial city:
- Theatre – one of the best-preserved theatres in western Anatolia, with a capacity of around 10–12,000 spectators and richly carved friezes depicting scenes from the life of Dionysus.
- Stadium – a long, narrow stadium partly damaged by floods, estimated to hold up to 30,000 people, dramatically set along the slope of the valley.
- Library – a 2nd-century AD building considered the second-best preserved ancient library in Türkiye, after the Library of Celsus at Ephesus.
- Bouleuterion / Gerontikon – the council house or senate building, later adapted as an odeion for musical performances.
- Gymnasium, agora, Roman baths, and the impressive vaulted substructure / bridge spanning the ravine, along with additional bridges and tunnels, all testify to sophisticated Roman engineering.
(Source: Wikipedia – Nysa on the Maeander – Remains
Turkish Museums – Aydın Nysa Archeological Site
Turkey Tour Organizer – Nysa Ancient City)
Archaeological investigations at Nysa began in the early 20th century with W. von Diest and K. Kourouniotes, and have continued under Turkish museums and, more recently, under the direction of Ankara University. Today, visitors can walk from the theatre and library, across the great vaulted “bridge” to the agora, baths and council building, experiencing both the natural drama of the gorge and the monumental architecture that once made Nysa a leading cultural city of the Maeander valley.
(Source: Nysa Excavations – Ankara University – History
Turkish Archaeological News – Nysa on the Maeander
Turkey Tour Organizer – Nysa Ancient City)